FIVE of last season's Basingstoke Bison team will be returning in the autumn.

Shawn Maltby, Doug Sheppard, netminder Ronnie Vogel, Jerry Galway and British teenage forward Shaun Thompson will then be joined by new addition Mark Richardson.

Highly-rated young British forward Richardson has just helped Bracknell Bees to a British National League and Winter Cup double, scoring 21 times in 62 games.

He is currently in Hungary playing for the Great Britain senior team in division one of the world championships, having been captain of the GB under-20 side earlier in the season.

The teenager wore a Bison uniform back in 2003 in a home challenge game against Great Britain under-20s, in which he was man-of-the-match.

Bison general manager and head coach Mark Bernard said: "Mark is going to be one of the most sought-after young British players this off-season and I am thrilled he chose to elevate his game while wearing the Wella Bison colours."

Canadian duo Maltby and Sheppard were first and second in the club's scoring charts and in the league top 10 last season.

It is the first time in eight seasons that the Bison have re-signed their top points scorer. Maltby will become an assistant coach along with Jeff Flanagan.

Bernard is looking to beef up his back line with two big defencemen to join Canadian Galway.

Two players are definitely not returning. Brent Pope has retired to take up a junior coaching position with Cardiff and Duncan Dalmao has decided to stay in North America.